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Moral themes in the picture of dorian gray
Young and beauty themes in the picture of Dorian Gray
Themes in the picture of dorian gray
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Recommended: Moral themes in the picture of dorian gray
The crucial theme present throughout C.S. Lewis' "That Hideous Strength" and Oscar Wilde's
"The picture of Dorian Gray" is morality, and how it can be influenced. The main characters in C.
S. Lewis' novel, Mark and Jane Studdock, go through very contradicting paths and join opposite in
objectives, organizations; at the same time they share similar feelings (solitude, confusion,
paranoia) and carry out immoral actions in the attempt to run away from the problems.
On the other hand, in Oscar Wilde's novel, the young, beautiful, inexperienced, naïve, Dorian
Gray; influenced by his new friend Lord Henry Wotton, forgets his moral values and lives in
constant pursuit of individual pleasure. The characters find themselves in different situations, but
prove the same statement that an unstable human mind can easily be influenced and forced into
wrongdoing.
The main characters in both of the novels, are fooled into the dangerous influences because of their own
youthfulness, naivety, and lack of experience. Dorian Gray listens to Lord Henry due to the lack of a
strong parental figure in his life. Dorian was raised by his rich uncle who left Dorian to live his life the
way he chose to, that made him vulnerable to influences. In C.S. Lewis' novel, The National Institute of
Co-ordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.), fools Mark by offering him a new job. The high payroll convinces
Mark to join the N.I.C.E. Jane's peculiar gift (the ability to predict the future in her dreams ) makes her
wanted by the N.I.C.E. agents, they intimidate her and she becomes mentally unstable. The doubt that
Jane has regarding the choice between her friends and the N.I.C.E. puts humanity in danger. What looks
like an obvious choice proves to be difficult for Jane to handle under pressure.
Although the main characters in these novels represent the same theory, the environments in which;
Dorian, Mark and Jane act, are significantly different. The time in "That Hideous Strength" is in the
middle of the 20th century, while in "The picture of Dorian Gray" the events take place during the
Victorian Era (19th century). Another difference is in the way the influence is implied to the characters.
In the case of Mark and Jane, the N.I.C.E. intimidates and even tortures the young couple, in order to
invoke a mental crisis in them and change their moral values. Then Mark starts carrying out immoral
actions for the N.I.C.E.,such as writing propaganda material, etc.
In conclusion, both novels have the “monster” theme and show us society and its preconceptions and that society judges by appearance. The monster was mild and beautiful inside, but "ugly" and horrible outside and therefore everyone feared him. They never gave him a chance to prove his gentle nature. Dorian was stunning but had an awful inside, yet everyone loved him and spoke well about him. This shows us that anybody could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. People are more than their appearances; therefore appearance isn’t enough when you’re trying to get to know a person. As Shakespeare said “All that glisters is not gold”.
...s to live and experience as much as you can in the short time you are allotted. He shows how art can help an individual experience moments of exhilaration, but he also warns that one should connect to the innate beauty of art rather than impose their own morality into art. Though Dorian Gray fails to separate his own morality from art he is the character that most accurately illustrates Pater’s philosophy. Henry does illustrate the ideals of Pater’s philosophy through his dialogue, but the reader must not ignore Basil’s firm belief against Henry’s dedication to the words that he preaches. As Dorian embodies the ideals of Pater he also shows the dangerous side of Pater’s philosophy. Pater’s philosophy is not naturally corrupt, but when Dorian chooses to ignore morality through the murder of Basil he shows the wicked extremes to which Pater’s philosophy can be taken.
The basic ideas of the two novels are also similar. They have to do with rebellion against the so-called perfect new world and the sanctuary
Through Henry's progression in thoughts, Crane explores this changing view of the hero. As the book opens, "the youth [Henry] had believed that he must be a hero" (Crane 50), as he set out as a newly enlisted man. Awaiting the call of his first battle, Henry reflected that "[s]ometimes he inclined to believing them all heroes" (Crane 75) based simply on their role as soldiers. However, when confronted with the reality of battle, Henry soon noticed that "[t]here was a singular absence of heroic poses" (Crane 86). Trying to cope with his own inadequacy, Henry finds himself always lacking in comparison with those around him. As they marched along he thought that heroes "could find excuses . . . They could retire with perfect self-respect and make excuses to the stars" (Crane 123). Marching among those heroes wounded in battle, "they rendered it almost impossible for him to see himself in a heroic light" (Crane 125). Henry began to despair "that he should ever become a hero" (Crane 126). However, through a new confrontation in battle, Henry found himself funct...
time. During the novel, Jane endures love, hate and friendship, though maturity allows her to
Henry becomes bored and unhappy. For time he begins to question his bravery and he
In "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, we see a beautiful young man who makes tremendous efforts to transform the actual world into the idealistic world of art, dreams and sensations. Dorian's quest, however, culminates in his ultimate tragic destruction. Given that Dorian lives a corrupt life, one is likely to focus on the negative aspects of his character. In spite of his significant character flaws, Dorian Gray may still be considered a hero. This essay will examine Dorian's degradation from the innocent world to the vicious, sensation-oriented world. The elements contributing to Dorian’s status of tragic hero will then be discussed.
... Their attitude and tone is something that can be contrasted in the two stories.
Within The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Sun Also Rises, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway respectively illustrate characters that hold a fascination for their own beauty. Through this essay I will compare and contrast those characters, Dorian Gray and Brett Ashley, and their obsession with their said beauty. Within The Picture of Dorian Gray both Dorian Gray and Lord Henry value youth to extreme extents, and Dorian is able to grasp a sense of eternal youth only to drive himself to his own demise. Brett Ashely on the other hand, uses her beauty to find a powerful identity within a patriarchal society, and at the end of the novel she finds herself cycling back to who she was in the beginning of the novel. While both characters use their beauty to gain power, Ashely is able to avoid the downward spiral that Dorian suffers due to her dependent relationship with Jake Barnes. Within The Picture of Dorian Gray, Basil is incapable of forming any reciprocal relations with Dorian, thus allowing Lord Henry to mold him. Henry plants the seeds for Dorian’s development, but Dorian breaks away from Henry and begins to develop an overzealous form of masculinity that excludes all external relationships. It is due to this disconnect that Dorian is unable to reach the same fruition of his goals as Ashely is. Through their tales both Dorian and Ashely developed into strong idealized figures of beauty, but only Brett is capable of maintaining her mentality.
The most evident motifs in both novels are madness, nonacceptance and the concept of betrayal. that
Though the similarities in the most obvious conflicts, those between Anderton and Kaplan, the protagonist and antagonist, and fate remain intact, it is obvious that Philip Dick's story has been expanded upon and the main characters made to fit the "big screen". Both stories, however, address the contradictions and repercussions of trying to encourage free will and safety in an ultimately predetermined setting, the basic moral conflict of destroying what is meant to represent a utopian security, as well as the issue of trading freedom for protection.
...years. Lord Henry enjoyed influencing Dorian: "He was conscious--and the thought brought a gleam of pleasure into his brown agate eyes--that it was through certain words of his, musical words said with musical utterance, that Dorian Gray's soul had turned to this white girl and bowed in worship before her. To a large extent the lad was his own creation" (Wilde 51). What makes Lord Henry's influence worse is his utter lack of understanding how harmful it was, and, how little he really knew Dorian, evidenced towards the end when Dorian practically tells him he murdered Basil.
Lord Wotton sees Dorian as "wonderfully handsome...all of youth's passionate purity," and cannot resist the t...
Careful examination of Dorian’s initial susceptibility to influence, willingness to commit sin, and interactions with other characters prove Lord Henry plays the biggest role in transforming Dorian from pure to vicious. With his cunning theories and brainwashing comments, Dorian cannot muster the strength to resist Lord Henry’s dominating nature, showing there are no limitations in relationships when it comes to influence. The topic of which character primarily influences Dorian to turn to a dishonest lifestyle is undeniably significant in understanding the purpose of the characters as well as the deeper meaning of the text.
...ocuses on their climb up the mob ladder. Henry goes through a lot of significant changes within the movie such as the changes of a human trying to adapt to his environment. Starting out from small crimes and growing to eventually dealing drugs and numerous other crimes. His boss from the mob named Paul and also Tommy and Jimmy helped guide Henry through problems making sure he made no mistakes and could adapt to his surroundings acting as his institution. Guiding him throughout the movie but also dealing with the conflicts when Henry would learn of new ways to make money through crime and manipulation. This acting as the conflict between human nature and institutional demand in that no matter what institutions do to try to prevent mistakes or unpredictable behavior, human nature will always continue to evolve and need more help in order to adapt to new environments.